Bureaucracy - how it works

Remember David Blunkett? Presumably folk will, but he left the government in November 2005. He continued to enjoy accommodation in Belgravia at our expense for a further four and a half months. Blunkett himself is not the story here, but rather the security arrangements, to which as Home Secretary 2001-2004 he was undoubtedly entitled.

Soo, Blunkett lived in South Eaton Place in Belgravia, well outside the Whitehall / Westminster 'green zone', with various inconveniences to drivers, pedestrians common to both.

Fast forward to February 2008: "In February 2008, Westminster city council submitted an application to the Department for Transport to have the Whitehall security zone reduced to Whitehall and the streets leading from it".

And just under a year later, this: "The Metropolitan Police Service have now agreed with Westminster's application to reduce the security zone. When the Department receives a formal request to amend the Greater London Highways and Road Traffic (Various Provisions) Order 2000 it will do so".

Being really unkind I could argue that security arrangements, parking restrictions should have been lifted in December 2004 when Blunkett left the Home Office - just over four years ago. I am not going to be quite so small-minded, so instead I will take Blunkett's leaving Eaton Place as my starting point - March 2006. Even with this more generous stance, nigh on three years later the combined forces of Westminster Council, the Met and central government have still not managed to sign it off and change a couple of parking signs.